How to Straighten Glasses

After glasses have been worn for a while, they may begin to sit crookedly on the wearer’s nose. This is not only unattractive; it can also be bad for the wearer’s vision. Damaged eye glasses will need a professional’s help, but it isn’t necessary to visit the optician’s office just to straighten glasses.

The glasses may simply be loose, so that they no longer sit close to the wearer’s face. To fix that problem, tighten all the screws in the hinges that hold the temples to the front of the glasses. Inexpensive optical repair kits have a tiny screwdriver that is perfect for those little screws. They’ll loosen again over time, so check the screws regularly.

If the bridge of the eye glass frames is bent, the glasses will need to be straightened. The bridge is fragile, so proceed slowly and carefully when straightening it. Needle nose pliers are useful for this task. If the frames are plastic, softening the bridge over boiling water will make the job easier. A hair dryer on a low setting will soften plastic, too.

The temples may be bent out of shape, which could cause the frames to sit closer to the wearer’s face on just one side. It could also cause one side of the frame to be higher than the other. You can straighten the glasses by bending one or both temples slightly, especially where they rest on the wearer’s ears. Be sure to proceed very slowly, because it’s easy to break the temples.

The eye glasses may look crooked on the wearer when they are, in fact, perfectly straight. This happens when the frames have not been fitted correctly to the wearer’s face. Many, many people have one ear that is slightly higher than the other, or is placed slightly further back on the skull. These differences in placement are so small that they’re not even noticeable, but if the fit of the eye glasses is not adjusted to accommodate them, the glasses will look crooked. Bending the temples slightly will adapt the shape of the eye glass frame to the shape of the wearer’s skull.

If one of the nose pad arms is bent slightly, the glasses will look crooked. They can be bent gently back into place with needle nose pliers. Use steady, gentle pressure and avoid jerky movements. Be careful—it’s easy to bend them too much, and they are quite fragile.

Always protect the lenses when you’re straightening glasses. It isn’t helpful to have straight frames if the lenses are scratched or chipped. Always work over a clean, soft surface. Never hold the glasses by a lens when working.